Bring It On
by cerokun
Summary: Someone or something is killing Hollows before Rukia can reach them.  She's not happy about that.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This story has nothing to do with the series of movies based on cheerleaders. There may be some cute Bleach girls in sexy cheerleader outfits at some point in the future though.**

**Merry Christmas to my fellow Catholics and brothers/sisters in other Christian faiths. And Happy Holidays to everyone else.**

**This is mainly for me to have fun. "Not Quite as Planned" is and will remain my primary focus.**

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><p>Rukia Kuchiki stood on top of the highest skyscraper in Karakura. From here she could see almost to the outskirts of town. She scanned the horizon, using her reiatsu sense as much as her eyes, searching for the telltale sign of a Hollow entering the Living World. <em>This time it's mine!<em>

Now, most Shinigami, when they heard that Karakura was the Jureichi, a location in the Living World with a spiritual concentration on par with Soul Society, would think it would be easy finding Hollows to slay. When one unseated Shinigami made a remark on how low Rukia's kill count was despite the large number of Hollows, he awoke the next morning to find himself frozen to his futon. People quickly learned not to tease the petite Shinigami.

Rukia's distinct lack a Hollow kills was not a reflection of her skills. If Captain Ukitake had his way (and could get her brother to lay off) she likely would have been one of the higher seated officers in the 13th Division, possibly even up for promotion to Vice-Captain in a few years. No, Rukia's poor success rate was due to someone (or something) killing the Hollows before she could reach them.

At first, Rukia had thought it was a glitch in her Soul Phone's Hollow tracker. Almost two-thirds of the orders she received seemed to be duds, with no Hollow appearing where it was supposed to be. However, a system check showed the phone was in proper working order. A call to the 12th Division confirmed that the Hollows had indeed been slain, but not by her.

So someone had been beating her to the Hollows, killing them, and disappearing before she could arrive. That annoyed Rukia. Not only because it was her sworn duty as a Shinigami to purify Hollows, but also because whoever the mystery hunter was, they were doing a better job than Rukia.

Rukia had redoubled her efforts, honing her ability to track Hollows without the use of her Soul Phone. The practice was paying off. She had closed the gap, and was now able to reach half of the Hollows before her unknown competition.

And now she had a chance to catch whoever it was. Tonight had been completely dead (no pun intended). She had yet to detect a single Hollow emerge. Her mysterious competitor was likely watching just as carefully for any sign of a Hollow. If she was lucky, she could…

_There!_

Rukia's head whipped around as the Hollow reiatsu brushed against her reiatsu sense and she flash stepped toward the source.

-x-

The Hollow screamed in pain, its left arm crashing to the ground. The monster's retaliatory punch missed by a mile, and an arc of black separated fist from wrist. The Hollow stumbled back, trying to escape from its attacker. It failed, due to its legs being sliced off below the knees.

"Bad luck for you, ugly. If you weren't about to die, I would suggest looking both ways before you leave the Garganta next time."

"Quit fooling around. The Shinigami is on her way. I'd rather not deal with her."

The Hollow's attacker scowled at the white clad figure behind him. "I really don't see why you insist on staying under her radar."

Light glinted off a pair of glasses. "Soul Society has a habit of eliminating anything that doesn't fit its worldview. I happen to like living."

"And Hollows mysteriously being killed by someone other than the posted officer will not draw their attention at all…"

"Will you just slay it already?"

"Yeah yeah." The Hollow screamed again as the ethereal blade split its mask, finishing it off. "Well, see you in class tomorrow. Tell the old man I said "Hi"."

-x-

_No no no nonononono! _The Hollow's reiatsu was dissipating. _Did the stupid thing come out right on top of them or something?_

Rukia struggled to move faster. There was still a chance she could catch who ever it was before they got away.

The Shinigami cleared one last house, finally getting a view of the park the Hollow had appeared in. Rukia stood in the air, searching for any hint of something that was out of the ordinary. She could sense a small concentration of Hollow reiatsu, which was getting smaller by the minute. _That's what's left of the Hollow._ She moved to the spot. If she was lucky there would be traces of the slayer's reiatsu clinging to it.

The Hollow's body was disintegrating quickly, but Rukia couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She could feel the lingering reiatsu on the Hollow's wounds and she triumphantly summoned the spirit ribbons. _Eeny meeny minny moe… _Her hand shot out and grabbed the ribbon that matched the reiatsu signature. "Found you~," she sung. The adopted Kuchiki took off, tracking the ribbon to its source.

Rukia's quarry seemed to have noticed her. The trail led her on a merry chase, up buildings, across rivers, through smelly alleyways, and into a particularly dense patch of thorny bushes. Rukia picked thorns out of her hair as she ran, refusing to give up. She was extremely miffed half an hour later when her target stopped, in the exact same park the chase began.

"Well, you're certainly persistent, Shinigami…" a male voice taunted.

Rukia glared at the figure standing on a tree branch. She couldn't make out much about him. Most of his form was obscured by the pitch-black cloak he wore, which waved and fluttered in a breeze that didn't exist. A hood was pulled low over his face, hiding his features in shadow.

"Guess that's what I get for leaving this thing on to cut down on travel time." He gestured to the cloak.

"Who are you? What do you think you're playing at, doing my job?"

The cloaked figure scratched his chin. "Now if I wanted you to know that, would I be hiding my face?"

Rukia's glare intensified. She dropped her hand to Sode no Shirayuki. "Your actions are interfering with my duties. If you do not answer my questions, I'll arrest you and take you to Soul Society for interrogation."

She couldn't see his face, but Rukia could practically hear his smirk in his voice. "What's the problem? I thought you would be glad for the extra help. Besides…" The figure raised his right hand and a blade of black reiatsu appeared. "I've been wondering lately just what a Shinigami can do. So go ahead, midget. Try to take me in."

"Fine." Rukia drew her Zanpakuto and pointed it at the figure. "By the authority of the Gotei 13, I'm placing you under arrest."

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><p><strong>And that's the end of the teaser. :P <strong>

**What do you think? Any guesses on who the mysterious hunters are (as if it isn't obvious)? Who is the "old man"? What is the item the cloaked figure uses to manifest his Fullbring? What happened differently in the past to cause the current changes? Why am I asking you these questions? Because I want to hear your guesses of course.**

**Have a Happy New Year, folks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I wouldn't be writing "For Want of a Nail" fanfics, would I? **

**It's back! Thank you for your patience.**

**I'm hard at work on "Still Not Going as Planned". I was taking a break, when a new review for "Bring It On" popped up. That was all it took for the plot bunnies to wake up.**

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><p>"<em>I want to be strong! I don't ever want to feel helpless like that again! Please! Train me!"<em>

"…_Alright."_

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><p>"By the authority of the Gotei 13, I'm placing you under arrest."<p>

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Rukia was forced to raise her Zanpakuto to block the cloaked figure's black blade. Three strikes were made in the space of a second, Rukia's arms shuddering under the force of each blow. Gritting her teeth, Rukia pushed back, and locked their blades together.

"The authority of the Gotei 13, huh?" Rukia stared at her opponent's hooded face. "I don't recognize that authority." Air whooshed from her lungs when a knee buried itself in her stomach.

Rukia flash stepped, trying to gain some distance. _What is this? What kind of power is he using?_

Her eyes widened as a green glow appeared beneath her foe's feet and he vanished. On instinct, she ducked, his spectral blade passing over her head.

"Bakudo No. 4! Hainawa!"

"Whoa!" The yellow rope struck like a snake, entangling his arms. He froze when Rukia's Zanpakuto was pressed against the cloak covering his neck.

"As I said. You are under arrest."

"…Why?"

"Because slaying Hollows without Seireitei's permission is a crime."

The cloaked figure growled. "Not that, bitch." Rukia grit her teeth and pressed Sode no Shirayuki harder against the black cloth. Something was odd. The cloak was showing an incredible amount of resistance to her Zanpakuto's edge. "There are so many Shinigami. You all make a big deal about being the defenders of the balance, so much so that anyone that tries to fight Hollows to protect people is considered a criminal." Rukia's eyes widened at the amount of venom in the figure's voice. "Well if slaying Hollows is your job, tell me something." The figure looked up and Rukia caught a glimpse of hate-filled, brown eyes staring at her from the shadows of the hood.

"Where the hell were you on _that day?_" he roared. The Bakudo shattered and Rukia had to jump back to avoid that black blade. She wasn't quite fast enough and felt the sting of its edge nicking her cheek. "Why the hell haven't you damn '_Balancers' _killed a Hollow that has been killing people for the past fifty years?"

Rukia stumbled, tripping over a root in her haste to get out of her opponent's range. She fell hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her. She opened her eyes to see the cloaked figure bearing down on her, ethereal sword aimed for her neck.

_Too fast!_

Rukia tried to raise her Zanpakuto. Tried to call its name. Tried to cast another Bakudo. She was just not fast enough. All she could do was watch that deadly weapon draw closer and closer.

She shut her eyes in fear at the last second.

"That is enough," an aged, yet powerful voice said.

Rukia cracked an eye open. She 'eep'ed when she saw the ebony blade less than a centimeter from her nose. She scuttled back on all fours and raised Sode no Shirayuki once she had enough distance.

Without her vision obscured by her opponent's weapon, Rukia could see the wrinkled hand clamped on the figure's wrist. She turned her gaze up to see an old man staring down the figure she had just been fighting. Despite his age, he stood tall and seemed to have considerable strength in his frail-looking body.

"I did not help you learn to use your power so you could use it on the first Shinigami you meet. Have you forgotten everything I've taught you, Ichigo?"

_Ichigo?_

The figure yanked his wrist out of the old man's grip. "Sorry, Sensei." The hatred was gone from his voice and he sounded more like a teenager who had just received a scolding than the deadly warrior Rukia had just been fighting.

He opened his hand and the sword vanished. The cloak quickly followed, withdrawing from his body and wrapping itself smaller and smaller into something around his wrist. He dropped his arm to his side, an ornate cross jingling against the jet-black chain it hung from.

Without the concealing cloak, Rukia could see her opponent was a young man, physically no older than herself, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His orange hair was interesting, but she had seen odder things in Soul Society. He glanced at her, snorted, and started stomping away.

"Ichigo!"

The young man stopped at the old man's call.

"I know it hurts, Ichigo. But you need to let it go. This young lady had nothing to do with your mother's death."

Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Maybe if the Shinigami were actually good at their jobs, I wouldn't have a problem with them." He stalked out of the park.

"I expect to see you at training this weekend!" the old man called after him. He turned back in Rukia's direction, shaking his head. "That boy…" He took off his glasses and scrubbed them with a handkerchief. He put the spectacles back on and smiled at Rukia, who had yet to move from her place on the ground. "I apologize about my student. He has some issues with Shinigami that I hope he will be able to work out as he matures. I hope you won't hold it against him."

"He tried to kill me…"

"I believe that he would have stopped on his own…eventually. I am certain he would not have killed you." He reached out a hand to help Rukia to her feet, but she ignored it and stood up on her own, sheathing Sode no Shirayuki. He scratched at his moustache. "I apologize. I have not introduced myself yet." He bowed. "My name is Souken Ishida."

"Uh…" Noble etiquette training took over. Rukia bowed in return. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

_What am I doing, introducing myself to the teacher of the guy that tried to kill me?_

"Well, Miss Kuchiki, I apologize again for my student's actions towards you. I'm afraid I can't offer you much else, save a warm cup of tea."

Rukia considered for a moment. "I think a cup of tea sounds nice."

If nothing else, it would help calm her nerves after nearly getting killed.

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><p><strong>Dun-dun-duuuuun!<strong>

**Not one person guessed who the "old man" was. I guess no one considered that things other than Ichigo's power set might have changed.**

**Well, I've answered some of the questions, but added even more. How is Souken still alive? How did he and Ichigo meet? What happened to cause Ichigo to pick up Uryuu's dislike of Shinigami?**

**For those wondering, Ichigo's Fullbring is in its second stage, but it looks like the hooded coat worn by Tensa Zangetsu instead of looking like a shihakusho like it did in canon.**

**Three days until "Still Not Going as Planned" comes out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I have mailed two thousand hamsters to Tite Kubo. I have no clue how this will help me gain the rights to Bleach, but I'm sure it can't fail any worse than any of my other schemes.**

**Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. 'Bring It On' has returned! Thank you for your patience. This still isn't my main focus, but canon still hasn't given me all the info I want for SNGaP, and the muse for 'Bring It On' KOed my 'NQaP: The Movie' muse after a vicious battle that caused a massive amount of collateral damage. **

**On a somewhat related note, make sure your car insurance covers "battles by super-powered, metaphorical entities". Trust me. It's better to have and not need than need and not have…**

**On the bright side, there is now a very nice crater in my backyard that I'm sure will make a great swimming pool.**

**Reviews:**

**#10: MrHasNoFavs**

**#20: Anon42**

**#30: Sairresh**

**#40: talesfanjmf**

**#50: Rinshi**

**You may notice the use of honorifics. This is because I've finally gotten to the point that I don't flinch every time I hear "Kurosaki-kun!". **

**If you haven't kept up on the manga, BEWARE! Here there be Spoilers!**

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><p><em>Her chest hurt. Why could she see her body lying over there? What was with the chain connecting her to it?<em>

_And what the hell was that monster?_

_She couldn't run. She could barely move. Everything felt sore and weak. _

_Saliva dripped from the beast's fangs as it opened its mouth._

_Is this how she was going to die?_

_Black and white filled her view._

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><p>Rukia had to admit that Ishida-san had a very nice house.<p>

Wait. Scratch that.

Ishida-san had a very nice _mansion_.

The grounds were smaller than the Kuchiki estate but she estimated that the manors were about the same size (though the Ishida dwelling may be larger if she counted the second level).

"Is your family nobility in the Living World, Ishida-san?" Rukia asked as the old man as he poured her a cup of tea as they sat in the very well furnished dining room.

Ishida-san chuckled. "Not technically, Kuchiki-san. The noble class was abolished quite some time ago here in Japan. But we are old money, yes." He poured himself a cup. "Of course, with the hours my son puts in at that hospital of his, you'd think we were in danger of being tossed out on the street at any moment," he said.

Rukia blinked in confusion. Abolished the nobility? How could something like that have happened?

Ishida-san must have noticed her perplexed expression. "I understand that the nobility still holds power in Soul Society?" He took a sip of his tea. "Hmm. Come to think of it… aren't the Kuchiki one of your Four Great Noble families?" He scratched at his moustache. "Oh dear. Please accept my apologies for my rudeness, Kuchiki-sama."

Rukia took a drink of tea to cover up her scowl at the honorific. She had liked Ishida-san speaking to her as an equal.

"There's no need to refer to me so formally, Ishida-san. 'Kuchiki-san' is fine." She smiled. "I hear 'Kuchiki-sama' so much that a change of pace is welcome." Not to mention that it was still uncomfortable for the Rukongai-raised girl to be referred to as such. She doubted she would ever get used to it.

Ishida-san smiled. "If that is what you would prefer, Kuchiki-san."

There was a comfortable silence while the two drank their tea.

Finally, Rukia could hold it in no longer.

"Um, Ishida-san…About the human I fought…"

The comfortable setting immediately evaporated.

Ishida-san set his tea down and fixed her with a stare that made her wish she hadn't said anything.

She was going to tell him that she still had to arrest the carrot-top. He had attacked her and had been hunting Hollows without permission from Soul Society.

Ishida-san's look rapidly made her change her mind. A look she couldn't help but compare to a displeased Head Captain.

_Do they have to practice looking that menacing or does it come naturally once you reach a certain physical age?_

Self-preservation in mind, Rukia quickly thought of something else.

"Umm…why does he dislike Shinigami so much?"

Mentally, she noted that 'dislike' was a bit of an understatement. He seemed to _loathe_ Shinigami.

But the question had the intended effect. The old man relaxed and picked up his tea again.

"Ichigo has a very personal reason for his displeasure with the Soul Society," Ishida-san said. "I doubt he would like me telling you. Perhaps you could ask him yourself?"

"I'm…not sure that would be a good idea, Ishida-san…"

Actually, Rukia was certain such an action would be very hazardous for her health.

"Nonsense," the human said, waving a hand dismissively. "You can join us for training this weekend. It will give you a chance to ask your questions and Ichigo can apologize for attacking you."

Any protests were quickly shot down and Rukia was unable to escape until the wily old man had extracted her solemn promise that she would definitely be there.

-x-

"Was that wise?"

Souken watched the Shinigami leap away into the night.

"I believe so. It's easier to hate someone when they are simply some nebulous entity that you have never interacted with. Getting to know this young lady will be good for him."

"If you say so, Grandfather." Uryuu pushed his glasses up and smirked. "And the fact that you can tease Ichigo about him finally showing interest in a girl has nothing to do with it?"

"You wound me, Uryuu. I would never do such a thing. I'll simply inform Isshin and then enjoy the show as he does it for me."

-x-

"Good Moooorniiiiiing, Ichigooooooo!"

Ichigo rolled out of bed on reflex, grabbing his pillow and tossing it at his incoming father.

Isshin flicked his bokuto and bisected the pillow with ease. "You'll have to do better than that, Ich – oof!" The pillow had obscured his vision long enough for Ichigo to grab his own bokuto and slam the hilt into Isshin's gut.

The fight didn't last long after that.

Ichigo left his father in a moaning heap, grumbling about "crazy, samurai-movie obsessed old men" as he made his way to the shower.

As soon as the door closed, Isshin climbed to his feet, completely unharmed. "I resent that… I am not obsessed with samurai movies…" the former Shinigami Captain grumbled as he made his way down to breakfast. "See if I hold back on you tomorrow morning…"

-x-

"Will you just buzz off already!"

Ichigo arrived in the dining room just in time to see Karin boot a ghost through the front door. She turned to glare at her brother.

"I blame you for this, Ichi-nii."

Ichigo thanked Yuzu as she passed him a piece of toast. "It's not my fault they like you better than me, Karin. It's probably all that bedside manner practice you get in the clinic," he said with a smirk.

Karin chucked an apple at his head in response, which he caught with ease.

"I think you're both lucky," Yuzu pouted. "I only feel a cold spot or see a blurry shape. I wish I could see them clearly."

"Trust me, no you don't," Karin grumbled.

Ichigo agreed. He shuddered at the thought of sweet, innocent Yuzu being able to see the monsters that plagued Karakura. Karin had had nightmares for a week after the first time she ran into a Hollow.

With a final good-bye to Yuzu and Karin (and smacking his dad over the head with his backpack when the man tried for a sneak attack), Ichigo grabbed the pair of bento on the counter and left for school.

"Bye, Ichi-nii! Say hi to Uryuu-nii for me!" Yuzu called after him.

-x-

"Good morning, Him – ugh!"

Arisawa Tatsuki lowered the arm she had clotheslined Orihime's stalker with.

"I hate to say it, but I have to give you points for persistence, Chizuru."

The redhead groaned from her place on the classroom floor.

"Ah – are you alright, Chizuru-chan?" Orihime asked.

"Just let me rest my head in your bountiful bosom and I'll be just fine, Hime!"

Tatsuki resisted the urge to punt the crazy lesbian through the classroom's (third story) window. Instead she settled for tossing her to her respective desk (which was thankfully across the room from Orihime's).

"Tatsuki-chan, don't you think you're being too rough on her?"

"Orihime, she's trying to molest you. If anything, I'm being too gentle."

The sound of the door sliding open drew their attention from their dazed classmate.

"Oh! Good morning, Ishida-kun!"

Uryuu nodded in greeting.

Tatsuki blinked as she noticed the distinct lack of orange behind him.

"Hey, Uryuu, where's Ichigo? You two usually show up at the same time."

"He's here. He just had to take care of something."

-x-

Ichigo rolled to the side as the Hollow's claws carved a slice out of the sports' equipment shed.

"**You're gonna be my breakfast, kid!**"

"'Blah blah kill you blah blah swallow your soul'. Say something original."

A black blade split the Hollow's head before it could compose a reply.

The Hollow dealt with, Ichigo looked up and gave a smug grin at the hovering Shinigami before walking toward the school's main entrance.

-x-

Rukia scowled as the human entered the building.

"Next chance I get, I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face…"

However, any plans for humiliating him would have to be put on hold, as she sensed another Hollow entering the Living World.

On the bright side, so long as he was stuck in school, any Hollows that showed up were guaranteed to be her kills.

-Lunchtime-

"Here you go. One 'Yuzu Special', just for you," Ichigo said, dropping the bento on the school roof in front of Uryuu.

"I do pack my own lunch, you know, Ichigo," Uryuu sighed.

Ichigo shrugged and glanced at the sandwich and orange that Uryuu had brought. "So you'd rather eat that than Yuzu's cooking?"

"I never said that," Uryuu said defensively, picking up the bento.

Ichigo clapped him on the back. "You might as well accept that Yuzu is going to treat you like family. And that includes making lunch for you."

Uryuu bit down on an octopus shaped hot dog. "I think I can live with that," he said, digging into the food with gusto.

Keigo sobbed. "No fair. I want to eat Yuzu-chan's wonderful cooking too!"

"Unless you can find some way to prove you're secretly related, that's never going to happen," Mizuiro said with a cheerful smile.

-x-

"I don't see what you're waiting for, Orihime…" Tatsuki said, looking over at the group of boys.

Chizuru sniffed. "As if my beautiful Hime-chan would ever stoop so low as to ask that barbarian out."

"Ichigo's not that bad," Tatsuki defended her friend.

"Please. With all the fights he gets into? You can't honestly say that a relationship with him would be healthy for Orihime."

Orihime, Michiru, Mahana, and Ryo's heads bounced back and forth like a tennis match as Tatsuki and Chizuru volleyed insults.

"It is kinda weird," Michiru said. "Looking at them, you'd never think Ishida-san and Kurosaki-san were related…"

Ryo nodded. "Ishida-san is polite, well-spoken, and extremely intelligent. And Kurosaki-san is…"

"A bit of a thug," Mahana finished. "Seriously, what do you see in him, Orihime?"

Orihime blanked out for a bit, as her imagination went from Ichigo's scowling face to something completely different. "He's funny," she said at last.

"Victory!" Tatsuki crowed, drawing their attention back to the argument, which had rapidly devolved into a physical conflict. Tatsuki being a National level fighter and Chizuru being… not a fighter at all, the outcome was obvious. "Alright, Orihime, we're taking care of this right now!"

"Huh?" Tatsuki hauled her up and started pulling her over to Ichigo's lunch circle.

Luckily or unluckily, depending on your point of view, Orihime wouldn't have to face her crush, because the bell to end lunch picked that time to ring.

-x-

Uryuu watched Ichigo fiddle with his cross as they sat in class. He knew that Ichigo would much rather be hunting Hollows or picking another fight with that Shinigami girl than sitting here. He'd probably be doing just that if Grandfather had not specifically said several years ago that he wouldn't teach Ichigo anymore if he neglected his studies.

Uryuu's eyes narrowed and he glanced toward the window.

_There._

A distortion in the air. A small hole in the sky, allowing a small bit of reiatsu to leak out. There was a Hollow watching them.

He glanced back at Ichigo. The carrot-top hadn't noticed it. Of course, Uryuu's sensing abilities were better than Ichigo's.

Uryuu pushed his glasses up his nose. The feeling of being watched vanished before he could decide whether or not to ask for a bathroom break to go take care of it. How odd that it decided to leave instead of attack now. Perhaps it was smarter than the rest of the fodder that came to Karakura?

Well, no loss. He'd let Ichigo know after school, they'd let out a bit more reiatsu than normal, and the Hollow would come running like a moth to a bug zapper. Just like all the others.

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><p><strong>And we'll end it there.<strong>

**Trying to keep Ichigo as Ichigo, and Uryuu as Uryuu, just tweaked a bit due to the circumstances. Is it working?**

**Yes, Ichigo and Uryuu are related. Ryuuken and Masaki were cousins. How close the relation was is unknown, but considering the Quincies' views on keeping the bloodline pure, they might very well have been first cousins...**

**There are two polls on my profile. One is regarding the inspiration for Rukia's future battle outfit (so far Mizore's in the lead, with Haku close behind). The other is what I should do about the look of Ichigo's completed Fullbring.**

**In other news, I finally tracked down a subbed copy of 'All Riders Vs Dai-Shocker' on Youtube. XD I think the scene where every single Rider shows up to kick ass might be the single most epic moment in all of film history.**


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